About us
our story
For more than two decades, CZB has helped communities ask the right questions, understand what’s really happening—feelings and facts—and build their capacity to face what comes next with greater clarity and confidence.
Our story is really one of picking up exceptional people along the way: mentors who shaped the world around us and how we think, colleagues who started as friends, and more than a few clients who liked partnering with us enough to eventually join the team. It wasn’t a deliberate growth strategy. It was the natural result of relationships deepening into mutual respect, and a shared desire to keep doing meaningful work together.
That history still shapes how we work today. We value true partnership. We say what we see, even when it’s difficult to hear. We ask tough questions, make room for honest conversations, and help communities make the choices required to move forward. Effective planning and strategy depend on more than technical expertise; they require integrity, trust, and a genuine commitment to the people involved.
We’re a group of planners, strategists, designers, and policy people who’ve taken this approach into more than 40 states. We are partners, in our company and with our clients, because the best way to reach the other side of uncertainty is to go through it together.
Our People
We come from different places and bring different perspectives, but we’re connected by the same values—and a genuine belief in the work we do.
Let’s Start a Conversation.
Our partners regularly speak about housing issues, community development, planning, revitalization, implementation, and civic leadership. We bring decades of experience to conference panels and keynote addresses, planning and civic podcasts, and local boards and councils. Looking for a panelist or speaker? Let’s talk.